


Blind Date

by ReinaWritesStuff



Series: Jonerys Modern AU [1]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Blind Date, Double Dating, F/M, Female Friendship, First Dates, Fluff, Funny, Protective Older Brothers, Romantic Comedy, a bit ooc but I'm having fun so hey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-10
Updated: 2018-06-10
Packaged: 2019-05-20 16:45:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14898248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReinaWritesStuff/pseuds/ReinaWritesStuff
Summary: Dany reluctantly agrees to attend a blind double date in the service of her student, Arya. But, the date with Arya's brother goes much differently than expected.





	Blind Date

**Author's Note:**

> Yep, I'm on the Gendarya train, too. What's good?

“If I were to ask you how I could extend my visa, how would you respond in Thai,” Dany asked, peering over to Arya, who nervously drummed her fingers. Arya tried to peek at her notes but it didn't go unnoticed by her tutor. “No cheating.”

“I don't remember. I'm sorry.”

“Don't say sorry to me. I'm not the one going to Thailand for my gap year. Nor the one paying for language lessons.”

“I know, I know.”

Dany sat down next to her student and recited the correct answer. Arya exclaimed in a way to suggest that she would have gotten it. In the three months since Arya had begun taking lessons at the language school, she hadn't progressed as quickly as some of Dany's other students. Still, Arya typically worked harder than any of the others.

Dany had taken quite the liking to Arya in their time together, as did Arya in return. Arya was Dany's only student learning Thai. So it was only ever the two of them. Arya made for good company even if Dany was a solid four years older than her. If Arya planned to take a gap year alone in the Thai countryside, however, she needed to focus more on her language studies.

“You’re usually much better than this, Arya. You knew answers like this with no problem before.”

“I know, I know,” Arya sighed, “I would have studied more, but lately I've just been… busy.”

“That's quite a suspicious ‘busy’. What were you busy with?”

“I had a date sort of.” Her voice had a twinge of embarrassment. She was clearly not used to saying the phrase. “I've been seeing a guy.”

“Really? That's sweet. Not sweet that you're neglecting your language studies, though.”

“Yeah, but he's pretty cool. And he's nice.”

Cool and nice. Those were the only descriptions she gave. But, Dany could sense that she would've said much more if she were the gushing and gawking type.

“I had to kind of sneak out late and see him.”

“Now, you're sneaking out for him, too? Am I supposed to like this guy?”

“It's not because of him. It's because of my brother. He keeps giving me a hard time about Gendry.”

“Gendry. And _why_ is he hassling you about Gendry?”

“Just because Gendry is older than me.”

“How _much_ older?”

“A few years. Just a few.”

“You're still a bit young to date someone a few years older than you, don't you think?”

“Ugh, you sound like Jon when he found out.”

“Maybe your brother is right.”

“You know he actually said that the next date Gendry and I go on, he wants to be there, too.”

“That's kind of funny,” Dany laughed, standing to grab another book off the shelf.

“My brother can be quite intense with others. He’ll just spend the whole time asking embarrassing questions. I don't want him to scare Gendry away. I really… kind of, I guess… like this guy and he really likes me, too. You know how that is.”

“I used to,” Dany said under her breath.

With that response, Arya suddenly got an idea. She watched Dany for a moment as the wheels began to turn in her head.

“Are you not seeing anyone, Dany,” she asked bluntly.

“Romantically? No, I'm not. Not at the moment. Why?”

“What if… for my date this Friday, you come along, too? So it's not just the two of us and Jon?”

“Arya, I don't think…”

“It doesn't even have to be a date for you. I just need someone else there to distract Jon so I can try to enjoy myself.”

“This is weird. I don't even know your brother.”

“He's not a murderer or anything, I promise.” Dany raised an eyebrow at that, but Arya only continued. “He's actually really nice and around your age. He can also be pretty funny sometimes. And I guess people think he's handsome. I don't know. I love my brother, but I just know that he'll only want to interrupt our date if it's only us. But, if you're there, too? It could work, Dany.”

Arya’s wide eyes pleaded to Dany with an excitement that she wasn't used to seeing from her student. Dany wasn't sure what she thought of this Gendry scenario. She certainly didn't know what to make of a blind double date with a student’s brother. But, whoever this new guy was, he made Arya more excited than she'd ever seen her, subtle as she may have been about it. That alone was almost enough to make Dany consider it. _I'll probably regret this,_ she thought.

“If I agree, you have to make a bargain.” Dany flipped through a Thai book. “I want you to have this entire chapter memorized and translated by our next session for me to test you on. No excuses or you'll have another tutor.”

“Okay, I'll do it.”

“And, you're running a gamble here, you know. If I don't like Gendry then you'll have me _and_ your brother to deal with.”

“I know, but you'll like him. Does that mean you'll come with us?”

“Alright. Yes,” Dany sighed much to Arya's satisfaction.

“It'll be great,” she smiled.

 _It’ll be great_. Dany tried to remember Arya’s words on that rainy night as she approached the restaurant address she was given. A busy Italian place in the busy city centre. Arya waved Dany down as she got closer. A handsome man was at her side. He didn't look like her brother, but he was certainly older than Arya. Gendry. Based on his mature and relatively intimidating looks, Dany could understand why Arya’s brother was nervous about him.

“You're the language tutor.” Those were Gendry’s first words to her, said with a surprisingly friendly smile. “I hear a lot about you. I always tell Arya that she's got to study more before she leaves. I’d help her, but I don't know anything about Thai. So, I'll leave that to you, I guess.”

“Ah, well I _do_ like him, Arya,” Dany smiled, “He says what I tell you all the time.”

“Yeah, yeah,” she replied, rolling her eyes at Gendry, “Jon said he’s on his way. He'd better get here by seven, though, because they won't seat us for our reservation until we're all here.”

“I'm sure he'll make it in time,” Dany said.

He didn't. Seven o’clock came went and so had their reservation. The hostess gave it to another group of people obviously wealthier than the three of them. Arya fumed as she sent a barrage of texts to her M.I.A. brother.

“I'm sorry that he's so late,” Arya said, “Says he's just getting out of the station.”

Dany couldn't help but feel a twinge of relief. Perhaps this debacle would get canceled. The two would realize how silly of an idea it all was, and agree to not pursue it again. Maybe even have a good laugh about it in the usual, professional classroom setting. Just as Dany opened her mouth to announce her leave, as if on cue, Arya pointed to an approaching figure covered in a hood.

“There he is,” Arya called out, “Jon, what the hell? Where were you? They gave away our reservation because you were late!”

Unfazed by the scolding, the man stepped under the awning and light and removed his hood. Dany watched as he pushed back a mess of dark, dampened curls, revealing his face. She tried to remain cool, but she couldn't stop herself from thinking it: Arya had certainly downplayed how handsome her brother was.

His deep brown, pensive eyes were the first things that caught her attention followed by his full lips. Dany had tried not to think too hard on what Jon could've possibly looked like. It wasn't really a date, after all. It was merely a service for a close student. At best, she would only have to make small talk. At worst, it would be awkward silence, and Dany would spend the night scrolling through her phone. But Jon, she admitted, was a pleasant surprise in person. One that made her a bit more willing to stick the night out.

“The trains were delayed again,” Jon spoke in a gruff voice, “I…”

He paused when he saw Dany. They met eyes and for the briefest moment, he flashed a bit of a half-smile at her. Dany returned a subtle one herself, but they were promptly interjected by Arya’s sharp tongue.

“This is my brother, Jon, who made us miss our reservation,” she hissed. He sighed and turned his attention back to his sister.

“I can't control the trains.”

“You can try to leave early then like the rest of us.”

“I suppose an introduction is customary,” Dany spoke, quelling the tension. She reached her hand out to him. “I'm Dany, Arya’s language tutor. Nice to meet you.”

Jon shook her hand, again giving a smile and apologized for being late.

“I invited her so you can have someone to talk to.”

“How considerate,” he remarked, his eyes narrowing at Arya.

Arya then motioned to Gendry and any welcome expression in Jon’s face disappeared, giving way to suspicion.

“And this is Gendry.”

“Good to meet you,” Gendry said with an extended hand.

“Yeah,” Jon replied curtly.

Jon firmly shook hands with Gendry, locking him in a focused glare and a death grip. To Gendry’s credit, however, he was able to match Jon’s grip with a warm but mischievous smile painted on his face. Dany and Arya exchanged glances as the shake went on for far too long.

“Oh come off it,” Arya exchanged, “Are you two finished? Can we please go in and try to get a table now?”

That stopped the handshake but certainly didn't soften Jon’s glare. The four of them went inside the crowded restaurant and approached the host desk.

“Table for four,” Jon said.

“No,” Arya spoke up, “We’ll have a table for two, and they'll have a seperate table for two.”

“No, Arya. One for four.”

“No, _Jon_. Two for two.” Arya turned back to the hostess. “Preferably away from each other, if it can be managed.”

“It'd be easier to seat you in twos than by four, if that helps the decision any,” the hostess said, clearly tired of the back and forth.

Arya smiled triumphantly at Jon, who finally conceded. As they waited for the two tables to be cleared, Dany closely watched Jon, who even more closely watched Gendry's every move.

Jon’s eyes followed them as they were led to a table near the front. The hostess returned to show Dany and Jon to a table across the restaurant, far out of earshot of Arya’s table. Once they were seated, Jon made a point to peer over his shoulder at them, obviously frustrated.

“I assure you that I'm not bad dinner company,” Dany said leaning in towards him. He turned to her guiltily.

“No, I don't… I'm sure you are. I just need…”

“To keep an eye on Arya.”

“You know he's five years older than her? What does a guy his age want with a girl her age?”

“I was concerned at first, too. I've dated men with much larger age gaps than five years, and they didn't turn out well. But, meeting Gendry, he seems much better than I thought he'd be. Nice. And they make a cute match actually.”

“Whose side are you on here?”

“Well, I don't know that I can have a side yet. Certainly not yours. I've only known you for, what, fifteen minutes? Do you not like him?”

“I don't _know_ him. That's why I need to talk to him some more.”

“Talk or interrogate?”

“Same thing.”

“If it helps any, I can see their table very clearly from here. How about I keep watch for anything suspicious, and we can have a regular conversation without you turning completely in your chair to stare at them? It'll look less like obvious snooping this way.”

He agreed and temporarily turned his focus to the menu. While he read through, Dany got a chance to catch a better look at him. His face was so serious-looking. She wondered if it was due to Arya's date or if he always looked like that. He fidgeted with his hair as he read over the dinner items, his brows furrowed. Just as she caught herself staring at him too long, he glanced up at her. Dany blinked and quickly averted her eyes inconspicuously towards Arya.

“What’re they doing now?”

“Nothing, they're just… oh, they're leaning in to kiss,” Dany suddenly gasped. Without hesitation, Jon jumped up, readying himself to march towards his sister. But, Dany grabbed his arm and laughed. “I'm kidding. I'm kidding. It was a joke. They're just talking still. Relax.”

“Sorry,” Jon sighed as he sat down, “Alright. Talking.”

They attempted some small talk. He tried to look attentive but was failing miserably. The waiter came and went, taking their order, and Jon was still preoccupied. Dany finally sat up straight and folded her hands in front of her.

“What would you like to know about Gendry, Jon?”

“You know him?”

“I know what Arya's told me about him,” Dany began. “Seems she wasn't as concerned about me knowing about him as she was with you. I can tell you the basics if it'll ease your mind some.”

“Where does he live?”

“Brixton”

“Does he work?”

“Yes. He works at a steel factory.”

“Does he live alone?”

“Yes.”

“Has he committed any crimes.”

“Kidnapping and murder,” she spoke plainly. “No, he has not. None that I could look up online, at least.”

“You did your research.”

“You’re not the only one ready for interrogation,” she grinned.

“You seem to really like my sister.”

“I do. She's one of my more enjoyable students. Certainly among the most interesting of them all.”

“Out of how many students?”

“Twenty-five.”

“All learning Thai?”

“No. Arya’s my only Thai student. I have six learning French. Seven learning Spanish. Two learning German. Three learning Farsi…”

“Hold on,” Jon interrupted, “You speak all of those languages?”

“Yes,” she answered nonchalantly, “Many of my students are trying to learn English, though.”

“What are you? Military? A spy?”

“Just a traveler.”

Jon looked at her awestruck. Their food was brought out, and Dany wasted no time digging in. But, she could still feel his eyes peering at her.

“I don't know. I still think you could be a spy.”

“Maybe I am. Wouldn't be a good spy if I told you, though, would I?”

“You'd be a _great_ spy if you could read their lips and tell me what they're saying over there.”

Dany put her cutlery down and pursed her lips at Jon, which caught his full attention.

“You know, I'm not sorry that we got seated away from them. Arya told me about how you'd put Gendry through the wringer.”

“Did she? Well, she's my sister. It's my responsibility to watch out for her.”

“That's sweet, really,” Dany said, “She's also an adult, though. And she's going to Thailand for a year. I don't imagine that you're planning on following her there.”

“No,” Jon sighed, “I get it. I do. She's a woman now, but she still my baby sister to me. It's hard to see her otherwise sometimes, no matter how old she gets. I'm used to her interests being sports and fighting; not boys. This dating stuff. I wasn't ready for it. Not for any of my siblings, but definitely not for her. She and I have always been the closest. Always understood each other more than anyone else. Now, she’s dating and then she’s leaving to another country. A lot of changes at once with her. Takes some time to get used to.”

“I bet. I feel you know better than I do that Arya doesn't need much protecting anymore. But, it's good that she's got a brother to be there for her if she ever does.”

“Do you have any siblings?”

“None left who would care as much as you do, that's for sure.”

“Hmm,” Jon remarked with curiosity but didn't press further, “It's probably best that she's going to Thailand. Maybe it'll help me loosen the reigns a bit.”

“Or maybe you'll pop up in Chiangmai in disguise.”

“Maybe so,” Jon laughed. After a minute, he continued. “Why did you agree to this?”

“To what?”

“To playing distraction to me, so I don't interrupt Arya’s date.” Dany flashed a guilty smile at him. “I knew that Arya put you up to it. I know her too well.”

“Is it working?”

“I suppose I haven't wanted to bother them in a while, so I guess so.”

“Well then my job is sufficiently done. I can go home now,” Dany joked before her tone turned more earnest. “I certainly had my reservations. I don't know that it's appropriate for a tutor to accompany a student on their date. And I didn't know _you_. But Arya kindly assured me that you are not a murderer, thank you for that. And she seemed really excited about Gendry. I wanted her to safely enjoy herself. So, I figured, if nothing else, I could finally meet the brother she always talks so highly about in our sessions.”

“She does now? What does she say?”

“Just that she's really close to you. Told me a few stories about you two growing up that were wonderfully embarrassing for you. That you take great care of your siblings. That you’re a bit broody at times. But that you're a good guy in general. Always careful of your family. She _may_ have mentioned that you're handsome, as well.”

Jon looked slightly embarrassed.

“Don't know how to respond to that one,” Jon chuckled. Dany shrugged and shuffled her leftover food on her plate. “What's that shrug for?”

She shrugged again this time with a smirk.

“When Arya mentioned first her tutor, I confess, I thought you'd be an old woman or something.”

“Wouldn't that have been fun tonight?”

“Perhaps. Could've had some good long, life stories to talk about.”

“Hm, shame you got stuck with young little me.”

“I can't complain about that at all,” Jon replied, making Dany smile again. He drummed his fingers nervously on the table. “I, uh, suppose that you'll have a good laugh about all this with your boyfriend later.”

“You didn't,” Dany sighed, “You didn't pull the boyfriend line to see if I'm single.”

“I did,” he laughed.

“Oh, Jon. That's amateur. Then I reply saying that, no, I don't have a boyfriend.”

“To which I say that I was just checking before I...” Jon stopped himself, meeting her eyes.

“Before you what,” Dany asked with a smile. Jon opened his mouth to speak, but stopped short when Arya placed her hand on Jon’s shoulder.

“Don't let us interrupt you if you're still on _your_ date,” Arya joked. “But, we're finished with ours, and the restaurant is closing soon.”

They paid for their food. Dany and Jon had a brief back-and-forth over Jon wanting to pay for both of their meals. Dany insisted on splitting the check.

“It's the least I can do after Arya dragged you out here on a rainy night,” Jon said. Dany finally conceded.

Once outside, the rain gone, they gathered under the awning and readied to say their goodbyes.

“It was nice finally meeting you, Dany,” Gendry said, “Did I get your approval?”

“For now,” Dany grinned.

“Alright, I'll take it.”

“Don't forget. The entire chapter,” Dany said sternly, pointing to Arya, reminding her of their deal. Arya crossed her heart and laughed. Dany’s eyes then met Jon’s again, his gaze already on her.

“I'm heading with them,” Jon said, cocking his head towards Arya and Gendry.

“Oh, yeah. Of course.” Dany tried to hide her bit of disappointment, but Arya picked up on it.

“Gendry can walk me home just fine,”

“So can I,” Jon replied.

“Dany is walking alone, though.”

“Yeah, go ahead, mate,” Gendry added, “I'll watch out for Arya.”

“It's fine. Really,” Dany said, dismissively.

“At least give us a head start then, Jon,” Arya told him, obviously for Dany’s sake as much as hers. He agreed to give them five minutes and stayed behind with Dany. For a minute, neither was sure what to say exactly, a strange contrast to their banter over dinner.  

“It ended up being a pretty good night,” Jon said after a bit.

“See, I told you that I wasn't bad dinner company.”

“Yeah, not bad,” he smiled nervously. They waited for the other to say something else, but nothing came to them. “Guess I should go.”

“Wait, you never did answer my question at dinner,” Dany finally mustered up the courage to say, “You were just checking before you what?”

“Before I asked for your number.”

“My number?”

“Perhaps I can ring you sometime.”

“In case Arya wants to go on another date, right?”

“Yeah. Or, you know, without Arya. If that's alright. Since you _were_ such good company and all.”

“I wouldn't mind that.”

She put her phone number in his phone, saving it with the name “Dany the Spy”. They both had a laugh at that before they began to walk off in their opposite directions.

“You can tell me more about your espionage work next time,” Jon called back.

“Oh yeah. For sure.”

Dany tried to sort out the strange turn of events. Nothing about the night had turned out as she had expected it to. In fact, it was not the slightest bit awkward given the circumstances. _He was flirting, right_ , she asked herself, _He seemed interested, too. I wasn't imagining that._ She didn't want to think too much on it. But in spite of herself, she realized she was blushing a bit.

As she rounded the corner, she heard footsteps quickly approaching her. When she looked up, she saw Jon joining her, instantly falling in line with her pace.

“Arya's fine without me,” he said after a moment.

“She is,” Dany grinned, hoping her blush had faded but knowing it hadn't.

Their conversation picked up as if they'd never left off, laughing and chatting on. The hustle and bustle of the late night streets seemed to disappear as they continued walking along closely together.


End file.
